Delhi air: eat berries and wear masks to conquer pollution

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Every winter, a thick layer of smog collapses over vast areas of India and people embark on a fight lost against pollution that scares them.

Thousands of patients are out of breath in doctors' clinics, they fill their hospital beds with lung problems and many are forced to not go to school or work.

And with the measures announced by the federal and state governments to reduce pollution without impact, many find their own way to cope.

Here are some of the most popular ways that Indians use to fight pollution – but are there any that really work?

Buy air purifiers

A quick search on Amazon India for air purifiers reveals more than 2,000 results and a quick look shows that they are not cheap.

But in recent years, many Indians have started investing in indoor air purifiers, convinced they would help improve air quality.

In March, a report said the government had bought a total of 140 purifiers to allow officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to breathe well.

But are they effective?

"Air purifiers only work in a totally isolated environment," said Dr. Karan Madan, associate professor of pulmonary medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences hospital.

So, every time you open a door or window in your home, "the indoor air quality immediately imitates the quality of the outside air" – in other words, if the levels pollution outside are high, they become immediately high inside.

And the question then is: can you sit almost all the time in a completely closed room?

"It's not really practical," says Dr. Madan.

Facial masks

Online retailers in India have thousands of options for masks. You can also buy them at pharmacies in your neighborhood.

Some are simple cloth masks while others are provided with high quality filters to prevent toxins from entering. They are available in black or can be multicolored.

And thousands of people in the capital, among those most affected by pollution, wear them.

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But can a face mask protect you from the tiny deadly particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and wreak havoc on your health?

A mask capable of filtering these tiny microns can help, but, says Dr. Madan, they will have to be worn all the time and completely sealed around the nose and mouth.

"But these masks with high filtration capacity can make breathing difficult, especially during exercise, and how are you going to get the kids to wear them when they play?"

"These are very difficult solutions to use," he adds.

Gooseberries and turmeric

Last week, when the air quality in Delhi began to deteriorate, Delhi schools began to take precautionary measures: the morning assemblies were suspended, the outdoor games were restricted and a school started distributing currants to students.

Indeed, according to traditional Indian wisdom, acidic green fruits are loaded with antioxidants and can help boost immunity and reduce the impact of pollution.

Nutritionists also suggested drinking a mixture of turmeric, ginger and Indian basil, or eating jaggery or clarified butter.

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Dr. Madan says that he does not know how far these claims are based on scientific data and that there is no evidence to suggest that they work.

He says that any food containing vitamins and antioxidants is good for general health, but does not prevent exposure to pollution.

Dr. Madan said that during the past week, the number of patients with "asthma symptoms" has increased, many complaining of a "burning sensation to the nose and to the nose." throat".

Describing this as a "serious health emergency", he said that children, the elderly and asthmatics are more vulnerable to adverse weather conditions and advised them "to avoid outdoor activities and big efforts" .

The harmful impact of pollution has already been established on the lungs and heart, but new research also indicates its impact on our cognitive abilities: a recent study found that pollution also led to a reduction in intelligence .

Aloe vera, the language of my mother-in-law …

It is well known that trees help absorb pollution, but Indian newspapers and websites are talking more and more about indoor plants that can suck toxins from inside homes.

The list of the best air purification plants includes, among others, aloe vera, the spider plant, a lily type and the snake plant (also known as the mother-in-law's language) ).

Mr. Madan says the assertion that they have an impact on air quality must be supported by evidence.

"Someone would like to do a study on pollution in homes with and without these plants.We need very good quality data to see if this intervention can be effective."

But Dr. Madan is clear that the situation is so serious that there is really only one solution: it is to fight against the pollution itself.

"There is no shortcut.We must control the source of pollution, it is the most important part."